Learning to Cope
by Erithil
Summary: In the early hours of dawn, someone learns from an unexpected person.


Disclaimer: One Piece and all characters mentioned are created by Eiichiro Oda.

He came awake for no particular reason. The sea was calm, the ship rocking rhythmically in the gentle cradle of the waves. Through dreamy half-closed eyes, he glanced about the dark cabin absently.   
  
Almost against his will, his eyes went to the hammock against the opposite wall. It was empty, swaying slightly, as if its occupant had just risen and left the room for a short while. But he knew otherwise.  
  
Sanji was dead. They had set his body adrift on a raft just three days ago.  
  
He had always imagined that if the blond cook were to die, it would have been in the midst of action. But Sanji hadn't gone down in a flurry of his usual fearsome kicks, gunned down by the Marines. He didn't die in a bloodbath, cut to pieces during a clash with another pirate ship. Heck, he didn't even give up his life in a dramatic attempt to save Nami, though he surely would have liked that.  
  
No, Sanji had died quietly, abed with an illness he never recovered from.  
  
There weren't obvious signs at first, or at least none that he had noticed. In his opinion, the usual fair complexion of the man bordered on sickly anyway. It wasn't until he collapsed in the kitchen, almost scalding himself by upsetting the soup he was making, that they knew. Chopper tried, but said he needed stronger medicines.   
  
They were out in the middle of the great sea, more than two weeks away from any port of decent size to have what was needed, but Nami chartered course immediately. Yet, with the sails expertly spread to catch even the tinniest puff of wind, they still didn't make it.  
  
He died-one day shy of reaching the island-delirious with fever, calling out for his crewmates, the All Blue and Zeff...  
  
Zoro sighed and looked away. It was then he realized that that wasn't the only empty hammock. Frowning, he sat up. It was Usopp's watch but Luffy was also missing from the cabin. With a growl of irritation and a few choice curses, he stood to retrieve his swords.  
  
They all have jobs on this ship. The navigator navigates, the doctor heals, the cook cooks, the archaeologist provides information, the engineer makes repairs, the captain looks out for his crew and the first-mate...  
  
The first-mate looks out for their captain.  
  
Knuckling sleep from his eyes, he strode towards the door. Chopper was curled up in his corner, whimpering a bit in his sleep. Sanji's death had affected the little reindeer greatly.  
  
Outside, the moon was low in the horizon, dawn was a pink blush in the eastern sky. The salty wind was cool and refreshing, the gentle slap of the waves against the sides of the ship peaceful. Zoro rested his hand on the hilt of his sword as he stood for a moment to take it all in.   
  
He was seldom up so early but now, he suddenly found that this was the time of the day he felt the absence of Sanji most keenly. Dawn was the time he would be awakened by the sound of hard leather shoes clicking across the floorboards in the kitchen above, accompanied by sounds of clanking of pots and pans as the cook busied with breakfast. Zoro would mutter a few colorful curses in irritation before turning over and fall asleep again. The next time he awoke would be pleasantly, by the smell of frying bacon or pancakes or whatever it was he had whipped up for the morning meal.   
  
Now the ship was quiet, far too quiet. True, they were forever snarling curses and insults, trading kicks and punches with each other. And he had secretly and verbally wished him dead a million times before, but he just never expected to miss him this much when it really happened.  
  
_Hell..._he thought irately, brushing a hand back through his short green hair.   
  
A glance towards the prow showed him his captain was not in his usual spot on top of the ridiculous lamb figurehead. That decided, he turned the other way, trudging towards the stern, wondering where Luffy had gotten to.   
  
Sometimes he wondered if rubber-boy understood death, wondered if he could cope. Among all of them, he must be the one who was least experienced with it. Sure, Luffy had faced near-death situations many times in battle, but he hadn't actually witness a close friend pass away before. Usopp, Nami, Robin, Chopper; they've all lost someone dear to them before, they knew what death is.   
  
And himself, he embraces death. Plus there's that time with Kuina...  
  
"Why do you even like this stuff? It's smoky..." Luffy's complaining voice wafted out from the kitchen.  
  
Zoro froze.   
  
Through the porthole, he could see his captain sitting comfortably leaned back in a chair, straw hat tossed casually onto the kitchen table. He also saw a thin tendril of smoke curling up from the seat opposite, though he couldn't see the person who occupied the chair.   
  
In two steps, he had burst through the door.  
  
There was no one in the chair. Just a single lit cigarette propped up against the ashtray on the table, the tip smoldering orange and trailing smoke.   
  
Luffy blinked at him, then gave him a big grin. "Zoro?"  
  
He growled in reply, eyes still sweeping every corner of the kitchen for the person he had half-expected to see. The person he knew he would never see again. Suddenly, he felt so foolish. "Damn it Luffy!" He swore angrily. "What the heck are you doing here?"  
  
"Talking to Sanji." The cheerful grin was still on his guileless face.  
  
Just as he thought, their happy-go-lucky captain had absolutely no concept of death. He sighed, dropping heavily into a chair, propping his legs up onto the tabletop.   
  
"Luffy, Sanji's dead. You can't be talking to him." Reaching over, he stubbed out the burning cigarette firmly.   
  
His captain shook his head with all the earnestness of a three-year-old. "Dead people don't go away. Sometimes, if people remember them, they stay. They stay here." He jabbed a finger at his heart. "Sanji is here." He smiled widely, showing all his teeth, pointing to his heart again. "And it helps cause I can talk to him still, anytime I want."  
  
Zoro snorted. Trust their captain and his weird childlike logic. "So what's he saying now?" He challenged.  
  
"He's saying..." Luffy stuck out his lower jaw and did a fair imitation of the blond cook smooth baritone. "Get your filthy feet off my table, you bastard!"  
  
"Heh." He huffed out a short laugh while Luffy collapsed into uncontrolled chuckles.  
  
"We'll need another cook, you know."  
  
"No." The unusual sharpness in his voice, so suddenly after laughter, was startling.  
  
"Luffy..."  
  
"No." He repeated, a stubborn set to his lips. "I refuse." He looked down at the tabletop for a moment, his dark unruly hair shadowing his eyes.   
  
Then, he looked up, his youthful face twisted into one of disapproval. "How many times must I tell you, we're getting the musician next!"  
  
Zoro rolled his eyes and slapped a hand to his forehead with a long-suffering sigh. "I'm going back to bed."  
  
They walked back to the cabin together in companionable silence. The sky was still dark but the sea was turning slowly from black to emerald.  
  
"He's out there somewhere, floating and floating." Luffy said suddenly, gazing out at the waters. "I think, someday, the currents will take him to the All Blue."  
  
He replied with a noncommittal grunt, but something in him twitched. Their captain and his childlike logic.   
  
It was still comfortably dark in the cabin. Luffy clambered into his hammock as Zoro flopped into his.   
  
In the silence, he heard his captain say in a voice that was strangely wistful but with enough typical Luffy cheer to sound like him. "G'night, Sanji."   
  
Zoro smiled into the darkness. _Yeah, night, you stupid cook..._


End file.
